Happy National Grilled Cheese Month. Why does this food holiday fall in April, you ask. Why not? But do you really need an excuse to consume a buttery cheese-filled sandwich alongside a bowl of creamy tomato soup?

The grilled cheese is so much more than the single slice American cheese sandwiches of your elementary school days. Now you can find all sorts of cheeses, meats and even fruit in between slices of crispy bread. Here are a few of my favorites:

I have a rather large family, and they all love to eat. We divide and conquer on the holidays, with different family members hosting certain holidays. My holiday to host is Christmas Day. (My mother gets Christmas Eve, the most sought-after holiday. Apparently, I haven’t earned it yet. I’m not bitter or anything.)

My wife and I visit her family Christmas morning and usually get home at about 11 am. This can make for a stressful cooking situation to say the least. But we cook simply, prep in advance and use fresh high-quality ingredients so my time is spent just making them shine. We serve a great roast coated in herbs, chunky pieces of Maldon Salt and crushed garlic; basic roasted root vegetables tossed in olive oil and thyme; sautéed greens with nutmeg; and crusty bread with compound butters. All of this food is easy to finish off quickly and tastes delicious. But when it’s time to really impress, to make the occasion special, I bring out the fermented curd, the coagulated aged milk, the king of all things edible: the cheese!

Crispy and melty are no more typified than in America’s greatest culinary accomplishment, the Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Who thought up such a wonderful combination, bread, butter and melted cheese? Pure culinary genius!

The first signs of what we know as the Grilled Cheese sandwich surfaced around the 1940’s. Cheese toasties – open faced grilled cheese sandwiches – were made with white bread and popular in both England and with the U.S. Navy. Did these toasted, melty precursors come from the English Welsh Rarebit or the French Croque Madame? I’m not sure, but I do know that now more than ever this nostalgic sandwich has become increasingly popular and more and more refined. Is it because of it’s simplicity and comfort-evoking qualities?

Whatever your reason for making one, I’ve got 5 tips to guarantee it turns out stellar.

Thanksgiving is a time to be reflect on all the things we’re thankful for throughout the year. It’s also a time to immerse ourselves in some seriously wonderful food! One of my favorite foods to eat during the Thanksgiving feast is gravy. It brings all the fabulous Thanksgiving food together into a harmonious plate.

Because I like to insert cheese wherever I can, here is a great, easy way to make your Thanksgiving gravy into a cheesy gravy!